Editing Peter Puget (section)

==Commander and captain==
While only a lieutenant-in-command of ''Chatham'', Puget served with distinction for the rest of the survey. He assisted Vancouver in negotiations with the Spanish at [[Nootka Sound]]. In 1795, the two-ship squadron returned to England by way of [[Cape Horn]], capturing a Dutch East Indiaman along the way. Once home, Puget was confirmed in the rank of Commander.

In February 1796, Commander Puget was given the tiny ''Adelphi'' with which to protect a supply convoy to [[Gibraltar]]. To protect the return convoy, he fitted out an armed freighter, the ''Esther'', using his own funds. On the return voyage, he captured a Spanish merchantman and sent it ahead with a prize crew. Then his convoy was attacked by French frigate ''La Bellona'', and Puget interposed his tiny vessel to let the other ships flee. Puget then bribed the French captain (pointing out that he was unlikely to collect much in prize money) and brought his command home. The British Admiralty found a way not to pay Puget prize money on the merchantman, although it did cover his expenses, including the bribe.

In 1797, Puget was given command of the sloop-of-war [[HMS Raven (1796)|HMS ''Raven'']] and joined the fleet of [[John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent|Sir John Jervis]]. Jervis put him in charge of the ''San Nicholas'', a Spanish ship-of-the-line, still crewed by Spaniards; Puget suppressed a mutiny and delivered the crew to Lisbon.

* 1798: Captain of troopship [[HMS Van Tromp|HMS ''Van Tromp'']]
* March, 1799: [[Flag captain]] for Admiral [[James Hawkins-Whitshed|James Whitshed]] on [[HMS Temeraire (1798)|HMS ''Temeraire'']], 98.
* 1800: Captain of ship-of-the-line [[HMS Monarch (1765)|HMS ''Monarch'']], 74; served with the [[Channel Fleet]] until she was paid off in 1802, following the [[Peace of Amiens]]
* 1804: Flag captain for [[Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves|Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves]] on [[HMS Foudroyant (1798)|HMS ''Foudroyant'']], 80; served in Channel blockade until seriously injured in 1805; sent home to recover.
* February 1807: Captain of ship-of-the-line [[HMS Goliath (1781)|HMS ''Goliath'']], 74.

In 1807, Puget played a decisive role at the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|Second Battle of Copenhagen]]. He led an inshore squadron of shallow-draft vessels (including two [[Bomb vessel|bomb ketches]]) to disable the Danish gunboats and to cover the army's seaward flank in a manoeuvre similar to Nelson's action in the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|First Battle of Copenhagen]]. However, British public reaction to the second attack was unfavourable, since it was an attack on a neutral country; no fame was attached to Puget's success.